Turning Sewage Into Drinking Water

Water supplies have been diminishing in parts of Texas for years – just as in Kansas. And, now with a severe drought, the Texas cities of Big Spring, Midland, Odessa and Stanton are constructing a plant to turn sewage into water:

Construction recently began on a $13 million water-reclamation plant believed to be the first in Texas. And officials have worked to dispel any fears that people will be drinking their neighbors’ urine, promising the system will yield clean, safe water. Some residents are prepared to put aside any squeamishness if it means having an abundant water supply.

“Any water is good water, as far as I’m concerned,” said Gary Fuqua, city manager in Big Spring, which will join the cities of Midland, Odessa and Stanton in using the water.

When the water finally reaches the tap, Fuqua said, its origin is “something I wouldn’t think about at all.”

Similar plants have been operating for years in Tucson, Ariz., parts of California and in other countries. Water experts predict other American cities will follow suit as they confront growing populations, drought and other issues.

…

The slightest suggestion of urine in drinking water can make people uneasy.

In June, officials in Portland, Ore., sent 8 million gallons of treated drinking water down the drain after a man was caught on a security camera urinating into a reservoir. City leaders said they didn’t want to distribute water laced, however infinitesimally, with urine.

Read the full article here.